When Sweet Dim Sum opened in October 2024, owner Jimmy Chen knew the menu was a work in progress. This new concept, at 1100 Lake St. in Oak Park, is a fusion of many Asian traditions, both sweet and savory.
Traditional dim sum items share the menu with Asian fusion desserts from across the region: mochi donuts, crepe cakes, and iconic Japanese dango and taiyaki ice cream in flavors like matcha, ube, vanilla and chocolate.
Chen’s idea is a restaurant that can serve as both a quick snack or as a meal with options enough to appeal to a whole group. He had already developed two other concepts: Poké Burrito and Mochii Donut. Each has multiple locations throughout the Chicago area. This is different.
“This is a kitchen laboratory sort of idea. We don’t want to make big portions. It’s more like small dish or tapas,” Chen said. “Creating a completely new concept, it’s like 5-10 times the work. Because you keep correcting the mistake and changing and changing until you find what works better.”
He imagines that it will take up to two years to home in on what menu items will become permanent. Until then Oak Park will be the only location.
Chen started his restauranteur journey young. His parents, who were immigrants from China, opened a restaurant in Iowa.
“By the time I was 15 to 18, I pretty much learned everything from the restaurant. I know how to cook. I start my first business, a little Chinese restaurant carry out place, at the age of 20 years old. It was a lifetime experience because I thought I know everything about restaurant business. Things didn’t turn out the way I expected. Running a business is different than working for somebody else. It’s more responsibility,” said Chen.
With failure as a lesson, Chen traveled the country, working in other restaurants, learning the finer points of what goes into a successful venture.
Now, with two local chains launched, he is looking for a third winner. Oak Park was an easy choice. His experience during COVID endeared the community to him. The Poké Burrito location in the village was the first of Chen’s restaurants to reopen.
“We got tremendous support from our community. We just never expect something like we feel, like close, like human touch. We want to give it back,” he said.
Three months in, the savory menu ranges from very recognizable, like shrimp dumplings, veggie spring rolls and BBQ buns, to deeply traditional, like chicken feet and beef tripe.
Sweet dim sum offerings include custard buns, sesame balls filled with red bean paste, egg tarts and lotus paste buns.
Drinks specialties include fruit smoothies, bubble teas and floats. Crepe cakes come in two varieties. Japanese dango, which are similar to mochi balls but are eaten on a stick, come in threes. And, of course, there are mochi donuts.
The newest edition to the menu is Korean corn dogs. Beef sausage or mozzarella gets covered in batter and fried. They can be further rolled in a potato or a crispy ramen coating.
“We still are trying a lot of new things. It really takes time with a brand-new concept,” said Chen.
The website invites customers to be a part of that process. It says, “We believe in the power of customer feedback to drive our growth and innovation. Your insights help us refine our offerings.”
Consider yourself a part of the tasting team.
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More to Know:
Address: 1100 Lake St. Oak Park
Website: thesweetdimsum.com
Hours: Mon.:9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Tue-Sun 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.